Can Our Lord Have Been Any Clearer About the Fruits of Our Labor Than This?
Many times we've talked about the real fruits of our labor. If you've read any of our offerings, you know the answer won't be found in how much money you make, a big or luxurious home, the prestige of your position, the power you wield at work, or any of the trappings of what the world considers a successful career. Rather, we've talked about the myriad ways we can sanctify our work, remembering that our entire purpose in this life is to know, love and serve God, as opposed to advancing in a "career path."
Not that there's anything wrong with making money and achieving success as the world judges such things; it's just that if that's the entire focus of our work lives - achieving success as the world defines it - there's a good chance we will stray from the narrow path that leads to Heaven, which we Catholics know is the primary objective of our lives here on earth.
Now all of this easily gets lost in the daily demands of our work lives. And that's understandable. But it behooves us to take a few moments each day to remind ourselves of the basics like being here on earth to know, love and serve God so that we can get to Heaven. And by doing so, it becomes easier to understand why it's so important that we sanctify our work. After all, what could be more important to us about work than that it serve as a means of making us more holy?
Well, why not just defer to the words of Our Savior Himself. As we've been doing in recent posts, we'll just ask Our Lord to speak us in His simple and direct way as recorded in the Gospels:
I don't think it's possible to read and contemplate these words of Our Lord too many times. As with everything Jesus says, each time you read or hear His words, you learn, you are moved, you take one more step closer to Him and to Heaven.
Not that there's anything wrong with making money and achieving success as the world judges such things; it's just that if that's the entire focus of our work lives - achieving success as the world defines it - there's a good chance we will stray from the narrow path that leads to Heaven, which we Catholics know is the primary objective of our lives here on earth.
Now all of this easily gets lost in the daily demands of our work lives. And that's understandable. But it behooves us to take a few moments each day to remind ourselves of the basics like being here on earth to know, love and serve God so that we can get to Heaven. And by doing so, it becomes easier to understand why it's so important that we sanctify our work. After all, what could be more important to us about work than that it serve as a means of making us more holy?
Well, why not just defer to the words of Our Savior Himself. As we've been doing in recent posts, we'll just ask Our Lord to speak us in His simple and direct way as recorded in the Gospels:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Mat 6:19-21)Can Our Lord be any clearer here? If you believe the real fruits of your labor have to do with money, position, power or any worldly gain whatsoever, you're sadly mistaken. And if you read His words slowly and carefully, there's nothing in them that condemns those of us who may have misunderstood in the past and focused our efforts on worldly gain only. He's simply telling us - again, directly and simply, so that you can't help but understand exactly what He's saying - how to work and why we work; and it's not to make a lot of money, climb a corporate ladder or become the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.
I don't think it's possible to read and contemplate these words of Our Lord too many times. As with everything Jesus says, each time you read or hear His words, you learn, you are moved, you take one more step closer to Him and to Heaven.
Comments